Over the weekend I posted a story that Captain Marvel would be making his way in to DC's new 52. Now, thanks to
Newsarma, we have a few more details regarding young Billy Batson's triumphant return.
As previously stated SHAZAM will not be getting his own title, but will be getting a back up story in Justice League. The story be entitled
The Curse Of Shazam, and will placed behind the Justice Leagues main story.
The Curse of Shazam will begin in Justice League #5, which will be out in January. Artist Gary Frank spoke of his on his enthusiasm for the project and the character saying,
The whole thing is being done from the point of view of bringing in new fans as well as trying to excite the existing ones. Anyone will be able to pick this up even if they have never heard of Shazam, Captain Marvel or Billy Batson. It's a wonderful character. As pure a story of superhero wish-fulfillment as exists."
Expect to see Captain Marvel is a different costume as well, but don't expect it to be like any of the other superhero redesigns that we have seen so far.
"Both Geoff and I were keen that our costume should look different to the rest of the Justice League's costumes since it comes from a different place," said Frank. No final decision has been made on the costume yet, but they want the suit to feel classic with Frank saying,
"We're still ironing it out but, whereas the other costumes feel very modern and cool, ours needs to feel timeless and, hopefully, cool. We are dealing with magic rather than tailoring, so this has to be in there somehow."
Frank also touched briefly on how he came to love the character of Captain Marvel, siting Mark Waid and Alex Ross's Kingdom Come as his inspiration.
"I absolutely love Mark's take on the character, even though we really only see the true Billy Batson for a second or two before he dies. But on every page you can feel him and his history. It's all there in the way he is perceived. I love the fact that there is an unease among the other heroes to be in the presence of that much power." Frank also anticipates fan backlash from some of the changes that he and Johns are making to the character, saying he is aware of conservative fans who are skeptical about radical new approaches, but assures people they are not trying to destroy the characters but rather keep them fresh so that they can stick around for further generations.
To check out all of what Gary Frank had to say on the upcoming Shazam story click the source link below. Also be on the look out for
The Curse of Shazam starting at the end of Justice League #5 in January.